The Arabian Peninsula is a peninsula between the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf. There are 64 known tropical cyclones that affected the peninsula, primarily Yemen and Oman. For convenience, storms are included that affected the Yemeni island of Socotra. Most of the tropical cyclones originated in the Arabian Sea, the portion of the Indian Ocean north of the equator and west of India. The remainder formed in the Bay of Bengal off India's east coast. Collectively, the 64 storms have caused at least US$8.3 billion in damage and 1,693 deaths. The most damaging cyclone was Cyclone Gonu, which caused US$4 billion in damage and 50 fatalities when it struck Oman in 2007. Tropical cyclone damage in the Arabian Peninsula is chiefly due to flooding.
Climatology Within the Indian Ocean north of the equator, tropical cyclones are tracked by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which is the officially designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the region. The American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) also tracks storms in the basin on an unofficial basis. The Arabian Sea, which borders the Arabian Peninsula, typically spawns tropical cyclones in the southeastern portion of the body of water, offshore of western India. About 48.5% of cyclones dissipate without making landfall, or moving ashore, and around one in three storms move toward the Arabian Peninsula. However, storms do not form in the western Arabian Sea because of cool sea surface temperatures (the result of strong winds from the monsoon), as well as dry air from the Arabian Peninsula.
Impacts by country
The sultanate of Oman, located on the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, regularly receives the impacts of tropical cyclones due to its long coastline along the Arabian Sea. On average, storms strike Oman once every three years, mostly between Masirah Island and Salalah, and usually before the June or after October. From 1943 to 1967, tropical cyclones accounted for about 25% of Salalah's overall rainfall. About once every five years, a storm affects the Dhofar region of southern Oman. In addition, storm intensities at landfall have only been accurately known since around 1979, and reliable record keeping began around 1970. In 2014, an archaeology team discovered evidence that a major flood affected Ras Al Hadd in eastern Oman, possibly the result of a tsunami or a severe storm.
Oman's most damaging storm was Cyclone Gonu in 2007, which was the strongest recorded storm in the Arabian Sea and the strongest to make landfall on the landmass. Gonu left US$4 billion in damage and killed 50 people, making it the worst natural disaster on record in Oman. In 2010, a slightly weaker cyclone named Phet caused US$780 million in damage and 24 deaths while crossing eastern Oman. Cyclonic Storm Keila in the subsequent year killed 19 people while looping near Oman's southern coastline, and left US$80 million in damage. In 1890, a storm killed 757 people when it flooded much of Oman's capital. A storm in 1959 caused a shipwreck near southern Oman, resulting in the loss of all 141 crewmembers. Another storm-related shipwreck killed 18 people in December 1998. In June 1977, a storm struck Masirah Island, causing 105 deaths and becoming Oman's worst natural disaster in the 20th century. A storm in 2002 that killed nine and caused US$25 million in damage. Cyclone Nilofar in 2014 killed four people from its outer rainbands.
Although storms rarely strike Yemen, back-to-back cyclones Chapala and Megh hit the country one week apart in November 2015. The country has two recorded landfalls by severe cyclonic storms – tropical cyclones with winds of at least . The first was a storm in May 1960, and the other was Cyclone Chapala in 2015, the latter being the second-strongest cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea. Chapala earlier struck the Yemeni offshore island of Socotra, which was also hit by Cyclone Megh less than a week later. The two storms collectively killed 26 people in Yemen. The country's worst natural disaster on record was from a 1996 storm that earlier hit Oman, causing severe flooding that caused US$1.2 billion in damage and 338 deaths. The second worst natural disaster in Yemen was from a weak depression in 2008 that killed 180 people and caused US$874.8 million in damage. More recently, Cyclone Sagar killed a woman when her house caught fire due to the storm.
Elsewhere on the peninsula, Cyclone Gonu's waves damaged the port in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. In 1995 and again in 1996, the remnants of a storm that hit Oman entered Rub' al Khali, or the Empty Quarter, of Saudi Arabia. In 2008, the remnants of a storm that hit Yemen brought rainfall and dust storms to Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
List of storms
Pre-1900 June 2, 1881 – A storm crossed Masirah Island and dissipated over southeastern Oman. June 1, 1885 – A cyclone was moving westward through the Gulf of Aden passed just north of the Yemeni island of Socotra with rough seas and high winds. The storm later affected a ship just off the city of Aden, Yemen, which reported winds of Force 12 on the Beaufort scale, along with heavy rainfall and lightning. June 1889 – Curving westward away from India, a storm crossed the northern Arabian Sea and hit near the eastern tip of Oman. A computer simulation in 2009 estimated that the storm would have produced waves of along the northeast Omani coast. June 5, 1890 – After entering the Gulf of Oman, a cyclone struck Sohar in northeastern Oman after passing just northeast of Muscat, where it washed ships ashore. There, the storm dropped of rainfall over 24 hours, the highest daily precipitation total in the nation's history. High winds wrecked many houses, and about 50 people died in Muscat and nearby Muttrah. Inland flooding downed thousands of date palm trees and inundated valleys. Nationally, the storm killed at least 757 people. This was the last storm to make landfall in that region for the last 130 years until Cyclone Shaheen of 2021. June 2, 1898 – A strong storm moved through eastern Oman, dissipating in the Gulf of Oman.
1900–1949 May 2, 1901 – Curving northward, a storm passed just east of Oman before turning to the northeast and hitting Pakistan, producing high waves along the coast. November 2, 1906 – A tropical storm brushed the southern coast of Socotra. May 26, 1911 – A severe cyclonic storm struck Oman south of Duqm. January 15, 1912 - A "heavy storm" destroyed more than 30 boats, with some casualties.File 4/4 Muscat Administration Reports and related correspondence' [13r] (25/712), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/337, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100059396987.0x00001a> [accessed 5 July 2020] May 27, 1916 – The Dhofar region of Oman was hit by a cyclonic storm. June 2, 1916 – Northeastern Dhofar was again struck by a cyclonic storm. October 13, 1921 – A long-tracked storm moving across India eventually moved ashore over southwestern Oman. December 6, 1922 – Originating near Sri Lanka, a long-tracked cyclone brushed the north coast of Socotra with the equivalence of hurricane-force winds, reaching at least 120 km/h (75 mph). It was the last storm of that intensity to strike the island until 2015. June 6, 1927 – A dissipating storm struck Oman south of Duqm. September 30, 1929 – Southeastern Oman was struck by a cyclone that quickly dissipated inland. October 25, 1948 – A storm moved through much of the eastern Arabian Peninsula, crossing from Salalah, Oman, and dissipating in the Persian Gulf near the United Arab Emirates. The storm dropped of rainfall in Salalah, which later contributed to a locust outbreak.
1950–1979
December 1957 – A cyclone developed over the Arabian Sea near the Gulf of Oman on December 27. Moving westward, the storm lashed Bahrain with winds of . An offshore oil rig collapsed, killing 20 Royal Dutch Shell employees. May 24, 1959 – The eye of a storm passed over southwestern Oman near Raysut. Wind gusts were estimated at 167 km/h (104 mph), and the barometric pressure dropped to . The storm cut power supply and wrecked many local houses. Salalah recorded of rainfall, with higher totals in the mountains, washing away the road connecting Slalah and Raysut. Offshore, strong waves destroyed several boats, including a dhow carrying 141 people; all those aboard the boat were killed. July 18, 1959 – After originating in the Bay of Bengal and moving across India, a depression moved inland near Muscat. May 18, 1960 – A severe cyclonic storm moved ashore in eastern Yemen, one of only two storms of that intensity to strike the country; the other was Chapala in 2015. September 16, 1961 – A dissipating cyclone struck eastern Oman after moving southwestward from India. May 30, 1962 – A weak depression tracked over Oman south of Duqm. May 26, 1963 – Passing southwest of Salalah, a landfalling storm in Oman dropped of precipitation in the town, accompanied by wind gusts to 111 km/h (69 mph). December 7, 1963 – A cyclonic storm moved ashore in southeastern Oman, bringing gusty winds to Salalah. November 11, 1966 – A cyclone struck southwestern Oman and dropped of rainfall in Salalah, contributing to a locust outbreak. June 2, 1970 – Moving westward through the Arabian Sea, a depression passed just south of Masirah Island before dissipating over Oman. December 20, 1971 – A storm recurved to the northeast while brushing the southern coast of Oman. June 27, 1972 – A dissipating depression struck eastern Oman. July 2, 1972 – A weak storm moved ashore in eastern Oman. October 24, 1972 – Curving westward, a storm moved across northern Socotra. May 27, 1973 – Moving westward through the Arabian Sea, a weak storm struck the Yemenese island of Socotra before dissipating offshore, although the storm's outer periphery affected the Arabian Peninsula coastline. May 21, 1974 – A weakening storm struck Ash Shihr in eastern Yemen. October 17, 1976 – Northern Socotra was struck by a weak tropical storm. June 13, 1977 – With sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) and gusts to 230 km/h (140 mph), a powerful cyclone hit Masirah Island and progressed onto the Omani mainland, remaining the most powerful storm to strike the Arabian Peninsula until Cyclone Gonu in 2007. The winds damaged nearly every building on Masirah Island, including at the military base, while rainfall on the island reached in 24 hours, more than six times the average annual precipitation there. The total was the highest daily rainfall in the period from 1977 to 2003 nationwide. Slightly higher rainfall – – was reported at a station northeast of Salalah. The cyclone was considered the worst disaster in Oman during the 20th century, causing 105 deaths. June 20, 1979 – A storm moved ashore near Masirah with a widespread area of gale-force winds southeast of the center. September 25, 1979 – Originating over southern India, a storm crossed the Arabian Sea and made landfall in Oman southwest of Masirah Island.
1980–1999
August 10, 1983 – Unofficially named Aurora, a weakening tropical storm within the monsoon struck eastern Oman and rapidly dissipated over land. May 25, 1984 – A developing storm moved across Socotra before moving westward through the Gulf of Aden, the first storm on record to transit the body of water. October 3, 1992 – About of rainfall was recorded in Sur, Oman, as a storm moved over the country. November 1993 – A storm affected coastal areas of Oman. June 9, 1994 – A weakening storm passed near Masirah Island before striking eastern Oman, later continuing into Yemen. Along the Arabian Peninsula, the cyclone produced dust storms but little rainfall. Late July 1995 – A monsoon depression moved through northern Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and the Empty Quarter – Rub' al Khali – of Saudi Arabia. Rainfall reached on Jebel Shams mountain in Oman.